Film of 2008??
Tim Burton's fascination with the gothic and macabre is well-suited for his adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, producing a musical that combines both fountains of blood and gore and moments of great comedy. Central to the success of this film is his understanding that this is a musical which works as well in an intimate studio setting as it does in a large theatre.

Burton creates a claustrophobic London, all dark alleys and dirty sewers. The locations are unpleasant and the dark gloomy colours of the film help to create the drab and threatening atmosphere of the city in which power has been abused and corrupted. The only bright splashes of the film come in the dreams and memories of its two main protagonists.

Johnny Depp is a memorable Todd. His face expressive of pain and of his desire for revenge. His singing voice is impressive, reminiscent of Bowie, the London accent prevalent. Bonham Carter is funny and amusing, her performance reflects her maturity as an actress whilst Alan Rickman turns in another villain, a performance which he obviously enjoys.

This is a certainly one of the more impressive revenge films to have been produced recently, the strong acting of its leads making it much more a study in character than many musicals and the vibrancy and energy of Sondheim's score creating dense musical textures which Burton explores with expertise.

Sweeney Todd
As a fan of Tim Burtons films I had high hopes for 'Sweeney Todd' and from the distinctive opening credits I knew I was on familiar Burton ground and in for a treat. The direction, make-up, costumes and sets are wonderfully atmospheric and give that dark feel to the film straight away. To be honest I found the musical aspect of this film got on my nerves by the end, but the acting and actual story itself was so good that I enjoyed the film immensely anyway. Depp is as great as ever and Sasha Baron Cohen was surprisingly good. This film isn't overly long and although the murders were quite gruesome at times, it didn't feel excessive or gratuitous, they were almost tongue in cheek in some ways. Alan Rickman plays an excellent 'baddie' again and all the supporting cast performed well. This is typical Burton fare (dark humour, distinctive styling and quirky music) and made for some great viewing. Well worth a look and I'd give this 3 1/2 stars.

Disappointing
As a Sondheim fan I was really looking forward to this movie but it was a real disappointment. His brilliant score was poorly served in the hands of actors who cannot sing. Depp and Bonham-Carter looked bored to tears most of the time. And what happened to the humour? Sunk without trace. The only redeeming feature in the film for me was the villainous Alan Rickman. I guess I'm in a minority on this one but if you enjoyed the theatrical version, then leave the film alone.

Really like this
Based on Amazons review rating system; 1=hate it, 2=dont like it 3=ok, 4=like it, 5=loved it.
I award a 5. I do really like this movie..

This was the first film i saw of 2008 and i have to say i was impressed! I had never ever dared watch a horror, type musical.. For some reason this movie just didnt seem to be all about murders. Its a dark, depressing movie with a great twist at the end. The singing was OK. I loved My friends, Johnny depp hit some fantastic notes in that song!

Overall very very good. My second favourite movie of 2008!

Bleedin Marvellous!
This has rapidly become one of my favourite films of all time! Bloody Brilliant!

Johnny Depp and Helena Bohnam Carter are fantastic, I was wary of their singing to begin with, but soon you forget and are immersed in the story and I couldn't imagine anyone else in their roles.

The visual effects are amazing, I love the use of dark, dingy colours followed by the vibrant splash of scarlet blood splattered everywhere! If you are a bit scared of blood I would watch out, as it is quite graphic! It does have an 18 certificate for a reason!!

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